Moroccan King Snubs President Jonathan By Rejecting A Request By Nigerian Govt To Hold A Phone Conversation [DETAILS]

In a communique released on Friday [Mar
6], Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “the request by Nigerian
authorities for a phone conversation between HM King Mohammed VI and Nigerian
President was refused by the Monarch who deemed it inappropriate on grounds of
the upcoming elections in Nigeria".

The Sovereign refused to accept the
request which he deemed “inappropriate” on grounds that it is linked to the
important elections in Nigeria and also because of Nigeria’s positions
regarding the sacred national, Arab and Islamic causes, the Ministry said in a
statement.

The Nigerian authorities request for the
phone conversation and the sending of a Nigerian envoy to the Kingdom is more
akin to an attempt to gain Muslim votes than a normal diplomatic act, added the
statement.

Nigeria is one of the stanch allies of
Algeria, South Africa and Venezuela in defending the Polisario with the regards
to the question of Western Sahara. Nigeria, which is a non-permanent member of
the Security Council, has been lobbying the United Nations and calling for the
establishment of human rights monitoring mechanism in the territory.

Africa’s most populous nation is also one
of the few countries that recognize the self-proclaimed “Saharawi Arab
Democratic Republic (SADR).